Can't sleep, clown will eat me
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"Can't sleep, clown will eat me" is a stock phrase that has become a popular joke-explanation for insomnia.
The phrase first appears in The Simpsons episode Lisa's First Word. During the episode there is a flashback in which Homer Simpson and his son Bart are watching the Krusty the Clown show, during which Homer notices that Bart liked the clown and decides to build a new clown bed for him. However, due to Homer's questionable handicraft skills, the clown on the bed has a highly menacing appearance which causes Bart to imagine the clown intoning with an evil-looking glee "If you should die before you wake.." followed by maniacal laughing. Instead of "laughing himself to sleep" as Homer intended, Bart stays awake in a fetal position chanting the phrase "can't sleep, clown'll eat me...".
Appearances in other media
Alice Cooper made a song called "Can't Sleep, Clowns Will Eat Me" which was inspired by the phrase.
In the penultimate Queen of Wands [strip], the main character Kestrel lies awake the night before a cross-country move musing "Can't sleep. Future will eat me."
The phrase (with plural clowns) has also been put on shirts and buttons by the store Hot Topic.
See also
- Coulrophobia
- Clinophobia
- List of neologisms on The Simpsons
- Phagophobia (fear of being eaten)
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